Displays at Capitol have raised a fuss

By Maya North | For The Olympian • Published December 10, 2008

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One of my favorite words is kafuffle. Here is the definition gleaned from Dictionary.com: A disorderly outburst or tumult; "they were amazed by the furious disturbance they had caused." Also written kerfuffle. Etymology: Gaelic cur 'twist, bend' + fuffle.

There has been quite a kafuffle over the atheist sign at the Capitol, to the point where the sign was actually stolen. It was installed at 6:30 in the morning and gone an hour later. It was subsequently recovered in a ditch and turned in at a radio station.

Here is what it said: "At this season of the winter solstice, may reason prevail. There are no gods, no devils, no angels, no heaven or hell. There is only our natural world. Religion is but myth and superstition that hardens hearts and enslaves minds."

Even CNN cited this sign as "criticizing Christianity." Other people called it an "attack." I have it on good authority that Bill O'Reilly of Fox News might need a rabies vaccine as he was foaming at the mouth. Since when does having an opinion contrary to one's own constitute an attack?

In fact, this is nothing more than the atheist's viewpoint of religion — or lack thereof. In fact, the nativity near which it was planted was just as much a statement of viewpoint. The nativity states that Christianity is a fact. And to Christians, it is. What gets forgotten by believers of any sort is that each individual's faith is their truth. They just aren't the same truths.

If you ask Christians, I can pretty much guarantee that they will tell you that their faith is not opinion. Christians believe that their faith is absolute truth. You will get the same answer from Jews, Muslims, Buddhists, Jains, Baha'is, Hindus, Sikhs — you name it. If you press them further, they will — some assertively, some with more reticence — admit that they think that theirs is the only truth and that everybody else is wrong. This doesn't just go for different religions. It happens within the same one. Ask a Catholic and an Evangelist whose group they think is right. Ask an Orthodox Jew and a Reform Jew.

It just works that way.

And so there is the need for tolerance. We all need to be able to state our truths and understand that they are sacred — even to the point where we say there is no god at all. We need to do that without fear of retaliation from other people. We also need to honor the intention of the founders of our country that church and state are separate — that we not only have freedom of religion, we have freedom from it.

Truth is, if we are secure enough in our own beliefs, the existence of people with different ones does our faith no harm. If we are confident in our truth, we should be unshaken enough by the existence of others that they can assert their truths without causing the slightest ripple in our existence.

I know what my truth is. Your truth does not change it. If your truth feeds your soul, then I am delighted by your joy. I hope that my having found my own is as pleasing to you.

Maya North, a member of The Olympian's Board of Contributors, can be reached at mayanorth@gmail.com.